"When Larry Drew got the job as Hawks coach, he took what many viewed as a big question for Al Horford and turned it around so far until opponents now have no answer.

The knock on Horford was that, despite his considerable talent and skills, he needed to become more effective scoring in the post against bigger and stronger players. Drew didn't deny that, but he also told his All-Star center that he would need to force bigger and stronger defenders away from the basket, where they aren't as comfortable.

"Can he post guys? Yeah, he can post guys," Drew said. "But the strength of his game is the ability to pick-and-pop."

It's a simple play that's commonly used in the NBA. The center sets a screen for a guard and when the center's defender helps on the ball handler, he rolls away from the basket ("pops"), takes a pass from the guard and shoots a jump shot.

The Hawks run the play frequently for Horford, and it has been astonishingly effective. According to statistics compiled by Synergy Sports Technology, Horford ranks 15th in the NBA on points scored per play on pick-and-rolls, making 59 of 96 (62 percent).

Drew's plan wouldn't work if Horford couldn't consistently make mid-range jump shots. In what is a remarkable trend from a statistical standpoint, Horford's scoring efficiency has improved as he takes a higher percentage of his shots farther away from the basket.

In 43 games this season Horford has more than doubled from last season his number of field-goal attempts taken from 16 to 23 feet. He has taken 4.5 shots per game from that range this season after taking 2.2, according to shot-tracking data compiled by hoopdata.com."